Gravity operated locking means for chair casters



-Dec'.-13, 1949 A. A. ERIKSEN 2,490,953

GRAVITY OPERATED LOCKING MEANS FOR CHAIR CAS'IERS Filed July 22, 1947 merit between the casters and the floor.

therefore for furniture been proposed different Patented Dec. 13, 1949 GRAVITY OPERATED LOCKING MEANS FOR CHAIR CASTERS Aage Adelsten Eriksen, Oslo, Norway, assignor to Arne Syversen, Oslo, Norway Application July 22, 1947, Serial No. 762,763 In Norway July 23, 1945 1 Claim. 1

The present invention relates to a device for use on furniture, especially chairs, in order to enable the same to be easily moved on the floor. The ordinary casters which frequently for this purpose are mounted on the legs or feet of the iurniture have the disadvantage that the floor easily is injured due to the small area of engalgle- It as devices comprising casters or wheels which normally without load engage the floor surface, but

which are adapted to be lowered relative to the furniture and locked in the lowered position, so that the furniture may be rolled on the wheels. The present invention has for its object an especially simple construction of a device of this kind, by means of which it is obtained that the wheels by tilting the chair automatically are lowered and locked in the lowered position, as also the wheels may be released from the locked position by tilting the chair.

With this object in View and according to the invention the wheels are mounted each one on a bolt or stem which is vertically slidable in a fitting attached to the lower side of the chair preferably to the frame of same, the said bolt or stem being, by tilting of the chair, adapted through the force of gravity to be automatically lowered, and locked in the lowered position by means of members which also through the force of gravity enter into locking engagement with each other.

According to one embodiment the said bolt or stem is adapted to be locked in the lowered position by means of a lever or pawl which is swingable through the force of gravity.

According to another embodiment the said bolt or stem is swingably mounted and adapted by lowering and swinging of the same to be caused to enter into locking engagement with a stationary mounted locking member.

The invention is illustrated in the drawing, in which:

Fi 1 shows a chair provided with a device according to the invention.

Fig. 2 is a side view partly in section of an embodiment of the device according to the invention.

Fig. 3 is a side view partly in section of another embodiment of the device according to the invention.

In Fig. 1, l designates a chair on each side 01' which to the frame 2 of same, fittings 3 are attached for the mounting of the wheels 4.

In the embodiment shown in Fig. 2 of the device according to the invention, the wheel 4 is mounted on a bolt 5 which is slidable in the sleeve 6, which preferably is integral with the fitting 3. The wheels are normally held in their upper position on account of their engagement with the floor surface without being subjected to any load from the chair. To the fitting is further swingably attached a locking lever or pawl l with a locking tooth 8, which when the chair is tilted rearwardly and the bolt 5 falls down, automatically falls into a notch 9 in the bolt 5 and locks the latter. In this way the chair may, while resting on the wheels, be rolled to the desired place. When here the wheels are to be set back into normal position in order that the chair shall rest on the legs, one may only tilt the chair forwardly, whereby the pawl l by the force of gravity will fall out of engagement with the notch 9, and when then the chair is rapidly moved back, the wheels and the bolt 5 will be pressed back into normal position resting against the floor surface.

In the embodiment shown in Fig. 3, l0 designates a fitting intended to be attached to the inside of the frame of the chair. In the fitting is on a bolt ll swingably suspended a stem [2 which at its lower end carries the wheel 4. The stem is provided with a slot l3 through which the bolt ll passes, so that the stem may as well swing about the bolt l l as be slided up and down, the bolt being guided in the slot l 3.

The stem l2 has further a notch M, which when the chair is tilted rearwardly and the stem falls down and swings by the force of gravity, falls into locking engagement with a pin l5 secured in the fitting; the stem may again be released from the locking engagement by tilting the chair forwardly.

I claim:

A caster for chairs and the like comprising a fitting member adapted for fastening to the frame of a said chair, a bolt in said fitting, an elongated caster stem having a longitudinal slot therein pivoted on said bolt and being slidable and when tilted in an opposite direction to unit] look said stem and said pin.

AAGE EBIKSEN.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 251,949 Risdon Jan. 3, 1882 1,155,607 Neller Oct. 5, 1915 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 24,143 Great Britain Dec. 12, 1929 

